Why Do Specialized Interventions
Matter?
Research has shown that for 20% of our students, reading must be taught in a systematic, sequential, direct, explicit, and multisensory way. These elements are what make up the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach.
MRI’s have also shown that pathways are formed in the brain that allow the student to become more fluent in reading, writing, and spelling, as a result of all these critical elements and when consistent repetition that is a part of instruction. These pathways formed also allow for the student to RETAIN the information being presented, and that MAKES All THE DIFFERENCE. What good is a program if the child will not be able to remember what was taught a week later?
How Orton-Gillingham is Implemented
is Important!
Our Intervention Specialist, Mrs. Annette Owens is an expert in implementing the Orton-Gillingham approach as an intervention for children in grades K-8 who are struggling in reading, writing and spelling. At Brain Wellness Institute, implementing interventions is different than tutoring. Often tutoring offers a “quick fix” where the child is dependent on the tutor to improve. Students will gain the success that professional interventions provide, interventions that will help fill in the gaps of missed learning skills to enable the student to be a lifelong, INDEPENDENT LEARNER. Once these skills are taught with professional efficacy, your child will no longer have to STRUGGLE THROUGH SCHOOL!
There are many programs on the market that include Orton-Gillingham elements into instruction. However, fidelity of implementation is not always guaranteed if the person instructing the student has not had proper, formalized training in using this approach. It is crucial that all of the elements of OG are implemented in a professional and systematic manner. Annette Owens is a highly trained credentialed teacher with over 30 years of classroom teaching experience.
She has a master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Advanced Methodologies from Chapman University and is a certified Orton-Gillingham instructor. She has also been trained in 9-Lines of the Making Math Real program, developed by David Berg, a multisensory approach to learning math facts. Her vast knowledge and many years of teaching experience allow her to differentiate and individualize instruction in order to teach skills in the way your child learns best.
The Orton-Gillingham certification is granted after a rigorous training program has been completed under the supervision of an approved Orton-Gillingham trainer, such as from The Dyslexia Training Institute (DTI). This program was developed in part by Dr. Kellie Sandman-Hurley from the University of San Diego, California, a well-known advocate for students with dyslexia, and author of The Dyslexic Advocate.
What is Dyslexia?
According to the International Dyslexic Association, “more than one in ten children in the US struggle with dyslexia or other language-based learning difference. Without appropriate intervention, struggling readers have a higher probability of not completing high school. Their dreams are dashed. Their opportunities are diminished. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Dyslexia is a neurological learning disability characterized by difficulty with word recognition, spelling, and decoding. These difficulties often result from a phonological deficit that is unexpected compared to other cognitive abilities and effective classroom instruction.
Secondary consequences of dyslexia may include reduced reading comprehension and reduced reading experience. Studies show that dyslexics process information in a different area of the brain than non-dyslexics. Many dyslexics are of average to above average intelligence.
Dyslexia is not a sign of poor intelligence, laziness, or lack of care. It is not a disease that can be cured with pills or diets. It is not an eye problem. It is not something that people outgrow.
But… dyslexics can be taught how to learn
Many students with dyslexia can learn to read and write and develop their special talents and abilities with the right education and support. Many successful people have dyslexia, including scientists, artists, athletes, and world leaders.
Common Dyslexia Symptoms
Early clues that a child may have dyslexia include late talking, slow learning of new words, and difficulty forming words correctly. As a child starts school, the condition often becomes more apparent. Signs that a school-age child may be at risk of dyslexia include difficulty remembering or naming letters, numbers, and colors, and difficulty learning nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games.
Dyslexia symptoms in school-age children may include difficulty reading, processing and understanding information, difficulty finding the right words, difficulty remembering sequences, and difficulty seeing and hearing similarities and differences in letters and words. They may also have difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words and spelling, and may spend an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing. They may avoid activities that involve reading.
Teens and adults with dyslexia often have similar symptoms to children with dyslexia. These may include difficulty reading and writing, slow reading and writing speed, problems with spelling, and avoiding activities that involve reading. Other symptoms may include mispronouncing words, difficulty summarizing a story, and trouble learning a foreign language.
We are here to help!
If you or someone you know has a child who is struggling in reading, writing, spelling and/or math, we are here to help. We can help make the difference in a child’s life that will alleviate daily struggles that no child should have to endure. There is help, and there is hope. Please call for your FREE, 30-minute consultation with our Intervention Specialist, Mrs. Annette Owens.
ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO GIVE YOUR CHILD THE GIFT OF SUCCESS!!
